Eastern Europeans better at communicating than Britons

Polish workers are snapped up by employers in the service industry because they have better communication skills, are more punctual and more polite than their British counterparts, according to the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.

Polish workers are snapped up by employers in the service industry because they have better communication skills, are more punctual and more polite than their British counterparts, according to the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.

Policy adviser James Cooper said the knock-on effect was UK-born jobseekers who would ordinarily fill posts were finding it harder to work.

The findings are part of a study by the Chamber into the impact of economic migrants on West Midlands industry.

"In lots of instances they are filling gaps in the economy, particularly at entry level posts where little or no professional skills are required," he said.

"Our members find that their transferable skills are better and their personal skills are better. They are more than happy to employ them because they are better than what they would find in the UK."

He said the service industry in particular was benefiting from the influx of Poles into the region.

"Their communication skills are better," he said. "A lot of them are taught in English and they are polite, eager, able to turn up on time and spend less time off sick. They are essential skills in this sector. In many cases where people are born in the UK they don't have these."

He said that as a consequence of Eastern European economic migration, unemployment figures in the non or semi-skilled labour sector was low.

"The competition for these low skilled jobs is hotting up," said Mr Cooper. "UK-born people who would otherwise fill them are not finding them so easy to get, because of the competition from Eastern European migrants."

Poles have also been recruited to fill gaps in NHS dental provision, particularly in rural areas. Under the national recruitment project in 2005, West Midlands strategic health authorities recruited about 35 Polish dentists.

The project was undertaken to ease pressure in the West Midlands region and dentists were placed in those areas where access to NHS dentistry and recruitment was most difficult.